


Storybrooke Pride

by littlesparkleshark



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe trope, F/F, Henry Mills Ships Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Emma Swan, Idiots in Love, Pride, Realm Hopping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-29
Updated: 2019-09-29
Packaged: 2020-10-04 20:49:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20477270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlesparkleshark/pseuds/littlesparkleshark
Summary: Regina and Emma travel to an alternate Storybrooke where Henry has gotten himself stuck. Upon their arrival they quickly realize this universe is a bit different from their own.For starters this world has no alternate Henry, Regina isn't the Mayor, and for some reason Granny is selling rainbow shirts with swans wearing crowns.While Henry has more than embraced this new world, his mothers are a bit hesitant. However, they might find this world has far less differences than they originally thought.Takes place before season 7, but after Henry graduates and goes off to explore.





	Storybrooke Pride

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [storybrooke pride [art]](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20500178) by [lesbrarian](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lesbrarian/pseuds/lesbrarian). 

As soon as they were back on solid ground Regina was at a high twelve on the panic scale. Her hand sweaty in Emma’s as they appeared in a near copy of Regina’s living room. Regina jerked away wiping shaky hands down the front of her skirt as she took off through the mansion looking for their son. Emma watched her from the living room as the mayor started searching the house frantically. Emma sighed, if she let her continue like this, she’d burn the house down in a panic.

“Regina will you relax, he called us to give him a magic boost, not save him from impending doom.” Emma said, grasping the former Queens hand.

Regina pulled her hand from Emma’s grasp with a glare. “This isn’t our world Emma, just because it looks like Storybrooke doesn’t mean it’s safe.”

Emma gave her an amused look, as far as she was concerned their son was safe and sound with this world’s version of herself and Regina. There was no reality in this world, or the next that they would not protect Henry, Emma was sure of that.

Regina turned to face Emma fully, trying her best to look menacing and angry. However, Emma could see the bags under her eyes. She’d hardly slept trying to find a way to break through to this reality from their own. To Emma, the mayor just looked tired, and a little scared.

“He’s a big boy Regina.” She stated, trying to sound reassuring, but it only served to make Regina look a little wistful.

The mayor pulled her arms up around her middle protectively “I’m sorry, but have you failed to notice that there is no one here? They could have eaten him for all we know.”

Emma snorted but quickly hid her amusement at Regina’s raised eyebrow, turning away to pull her phone out and dialing Henry. It hadn’t worked across the universe, but she was hoping being in the same town counted for something.

She nearly jumped for joy when the call wasn’t immediately cut off, a soft laugh of pure joy bubbling out of her when Henry picked up. 

Emma had to admit that she’d been a bit naïve when agreeing to Henry taking off on a motorcycle to realm-hop across the universe. She hadn’t anticipated the amount of time she wouldn’t be able to hear from him. Now, she relied on shaky magic and shoddy spells that not even Regina had tried. Apparently, the art of realm-to-realm cellphone coverage was a less than fully explored type of magic.

Most of the time it felt like talking to him beyond the grave, and very rarely involved getting to hear their son’s voice. 

“Hey kid.” Emma chuckled, and suddenly Regina was right next to her, her eyes wide and full of hope as they smiled at each other. Emma put the call on speaker phone and held it between them.

“Hey Ma!” he practically yelled over the noise in the background. His mothers exchanged a look over the phone as the sound of yelling and loud music filtered through the speakers. Regina nudged Emma urgently, not wanting to be the one to ask,

“W-where are you kid? It sounds loud.”

There was a paused before he yelled over the music again. “I’m on Main Street, with the alternate-moms.”

Suddenly Regina grabbed Emma’s wrist, pulling the phone closer to herself. “Did they take you to a bar? Because I don’t care what universe you’re in, you are not old enough to drink.” 

Henry scoffed, the background noise becoming muffled as Henry moved to a quieter place.

“I’m not at a bar, mom.”

Emma smiled, she doubted he was obeying that rule as strictly as Regina wished he would.

More muffled voices, one that noticeably sounded like Regina screaming. Then the phone was being shuffled and Emma’s own voice was filling the speakers, talking to Henry indistinctly, followed by Henry’s laughter.

“Listen, I’m in the middle of something. You guys should come down to Main Street.”

Regina’s hand was on Emma’s again pulling the phone down to her. “Wait Henry what-“

The call cut off and Regina growled, looking at the phone like it was personally at fault for their son’s lack of manners.

Emma shrugged putting her phone in her back pocket. “Guess we’re meeting the kid on Main Street.”

Regina sighed, her thumb and forefinger going to the bridge of her nose. “When we get there, I’m going to have a talk with your son about what the word _emergency_means.”

Emma rolled her eyes, sure, _now_he was her son. When he was mid street party in the center of an alternate reality that he managed to get stuck in. But when he was ten and ate his vegetables and did his homework without being asked, he was all Regina’s.

The sheriff held open the front door, waiting for the former Queen with a hint of exasperation.

“Don’t give me that look.” Regina murmured, running her fingers through her hair and picking fake lint from her shirt. “This is all your doing, before you I had a perfect angel for a son.”

* * *

After opting to walk to Main Street because _‘We need to make sure our magic is restored enough to transport all three of us, Miss Swan’, _Emma found herself on the side walk leading into town, a hand on the small of Regina’s back, walking toward what looked like a cross between a festival and a very colorful mob. 

Regina stopped abruptly, regarding the gathering curiously for a long moment without any comment. No doubt thinking how best to avoid the situation Henry was trying to put her in. Emma had learned a long time ago, Regina did not like loud. She wasn’t one for large gatherings or parties, she didn’t like the sound of people yelling or being overly obnoxious. It wasn’t that she liked complete silence, but the kind of sound she enjoyed was the crackling of a wood fire.

Emma sighed, glancing at Regina who was off somewhere in her mind. Henry was also more than aware of his mother’s aversion to large groups, but he knew she’d go anyway if he asked.

“It’s probably less chaotic than it seems.” Emma offered, unsure what else she could say. 

Regina didn’t say a word as she began walking again, but Emma was now a step ahead of the mayor as if that was in some way helpful to protect her from a large crowd.

As they got closer, the music playing became less garbled. The people became less of a swarm and more of a gathering that was confined to either side of the sidewalk. Emma smiled, recognizing the gathering for what it was, and decided to forgive Henry for dragging them down here.

“It’s a parade!” Emma explained, with all the delight of a small child. 

Regina glanced up at her, giving her an odd look. The curse had given her a lot of knowledge about being in this world, but there were some very simple things that were so beyond her. Emma smiled, the protective hand on Regina’s back moving to gently urge her forward. The child in her was vibrating with excitement.

Regina scoffed, but there was a soft smile on her face. “You’re as bad as Henry.”

Emma rolled her eyes, but she was smiling too. “C’mon, parades are fun, people throw you free candy.”

“And you trust the candy these strangers give you?”

“Well, to be honest Madam Mayor…” Emma paused, giving Regina a wide smile to make sure she wasn’t going to take this too personally, “The only person who’s ever tried to poison me with free food is you.” 

Regina rolled her eyes, but she was still smiling playfully, “And yet you learned nothing from that experience.”

“Oh, my apologies your Majesty, I didn’t realize that was supposed to be a learning moment.”

Regina shrugged, feigning nonchalance. “Apology accepted.”

At this point they had reached the crowed sidewalks, Emma parting the sea of people as she worked her way through them and spontaneously checked on Regina. Luckily, her earlier apprehension seemed to be forgotten, replaced instead with pure curiosity.

In the many years Emma had lived in Storybrooke, there had never once been a parade. She doubted very much that Regina had ever actually seen one. Emma herself, had never been taken to one as a kid, and had never thought to take herself as an adult.

Emma pushed through the crowed headed toward Granny’s, where the side walk got a bit bigger and would probably afford them a little more personal space.

“Do you think Henry is near here?”

Emma shrugged grabbing a chair from Granny’s patio and offering it to Regina. They were not near the front of the curb but, could still see the street pretty well.

“I’ll call him, but something tells me he’s heavily involved in this little festival.”

Regina nodded, a small smile on her lips. Henry had a knack for becoming the epicenter of all things that harmlessly disrupted Regina’s otherwise sleepy town. He was almost entirely the sole reason they had yearly firework displays during the heavily anticipated Winter Festival, a strange cross between New Year’s Eve and some old-world tradition that Emma didn’t fully understand.

* * *

Emma’s second call to Henry went much as expected, he had somehow worked his way into being in this parade. Emma shook her head but couldn’t find it in her to be annoyed. Their son had grown into, quite literally, a man of the world, with enough charm to disarm just about anyone, especially his mothers. In this and any other universe.

It was on her way back to Regina that she saw a kind of design she recognized. She had taken note of the colorful outfits people had on, and so had Regina. However, it wasn’t until Emma saw Granny wearing a white T-shirt advertising ‘_Storybrooke Pride!’ _in bold rainbow letters that it finally clicked. 

Their Storybrooke had never had a Pride festival before. In Boston she’d seen a few, but she’d been In Storybrooke so long she’d nearly forgotten Pride festivals existed. Living in Storybrooke was a lot like living in a vacuum sometimes, the outside world eventually just became background noise. Things went on outside of their town, but it never affected them all that much. Regina may call herself the mayor, but sometimes late at night Emma realized the Queen had made this town, ruled over it, and kept it self-sufficient. It was in those moments, Emma realized their mayor was a lot more like a God, and it made her feel a bit odd when she sat across from her at breakfast the next day. 

“You must be a touch more political in this universe.” Emma commented smiling down at Regina as she sipped the iced drink Granny had just given her. 

Regina eyed her with a bit of confusion. “I’m always political, I’m the mayor.”

Emma shrugged. “Sure, but our Storybrooke has never has a Pride festival before.”

Regina blinked a few times, looking a bit like a cartoon before surveying her surroundings. When she returned her attention to Emma she shrugged nonchalantly.

“I’ve thought about it before, but due to the historical connotations it has for this realm, I found it unjust for us to do such a thing. While same sex relationships where not always as warmly viewed in our realm, no one was ever prosecuted for love.”

Regina moved to rest her chin on the palm of her hand, a sardonic gleam in her eyes as she added,

“It’s not the Fairytale way.”

Emma scoffed stealing the drink from in front of Regina, taking a large sip. “If that’s true, then why aren’t there more gay couples in Storybrooke?”

Regina shrugged. “There are several, I assume you just pay as much attention to them as you do your surroundings. You honestly didn’t notice all the rainbow flags till just now?”

“It’s a parade, it’s supposed to be colorful.” Emma defended herself, before adding, “Also I find it hard to believe that the Enchanted Forest, in all its backwards beliefs and lack of indoor plumbing, was totally cool with gay people.”

Regina snorted, taking back her drink. “I’m so glad you’re my sheriff, with such astute observation skills.” She paused before adding, “And that’s not what I said. However, I’d watch what world you call backwards. The one that you’re claiming is more forward thinking has some quite extensive problems with skin tone and sexual preferences.”

Regina rolled her eyes and Emma smiled. There were reasons that what happened outside of Storybrooke didn’t often make it into their town. For a fairytale character, Regina was quite the liberal democrat. Of course, most of the town had similar views to Regina, considering the world they had been raised in had so many species Emma could hardly keep track.

“Maybe it just seemed that way to you, because that bias wasn’t directed your way.”

Regina scoffed. “I’m an out bisexual woman, Miss Swan, and I was a Queen. If you think I haven’t heard every rude remark from the old world, your wrong. I had several nicknames before they settled on evil, and many had to do with the company I chose to keep after Leopold’s death.”

Emma froze. She hadn’t known that. Why hadn’t she known that? Maybe Regina was right, maybe she didn’t have very good observation skills after all. She’d had a crush on Regina for so long and had never realized the Mayor had even had a minor interest in women. A part of her was very seriously considering turning in her badge when they got home.

Regina gave her a sweet smile, a light glinting in her eyes that told Emma she was enjoying the sight of the savior’s inner turmoil.

Without much pretense Emma rejoined the current conversation with an abrupt change in subject. “Henry is in the parade.”

Regina nodded sipping her drink absently, looking just a bit disappointed. “I figured as much. We should move closer so we can see him when he passes.”

With that, Regina was up from her seat, straightening her clothes, and grabbing her drink. Emma followed her dumbly as she pushed assertively through the crowd to stand on the curb, all her earlier apprehension vanishing.

* * *

Emma enjoyed the parade, her excitement growing with each thing that was tossed at her. She had at least a handful of candy in each pocket at this point. This excitement was only elevated when Ruby, in her red mustang, tossed Emma one of the shirts Granny had been wearing. She quickly decided that very little could top a shirt she’d caught out of the air in levels of cool, and immediate slipped it on over her tank top. 

Regina smiled the entire time, and didn’t complain when Emma had started putting things, she had caught into the mayor’s purse.

Then the police cruiser came rolling down main street, using the lights and siren Emma had never even gotten to play with. Her alternate universe dad flipping the sirens on and off to many children’s delight. There were two deputies on motorcycles flanking him and tossing out candy and other little goodies.

Emma couldn’t help but feel a little jealous, nudging Regina with her elbow “How come I don’t have a police motorcycle?”

“Maybe this version of you is better balanced.” Regina teased, a smile tugging at her lips.

Emma glared at her, but Regina only continued to smile. It was no secret in their family that Emma was a bit clumsy, she was tall and lanky and often tripped over nothing at all. More than once Regina and Mary Margret had likened her to a puppy that didn’t know its size, or a foal learning to walk.

Regina nodded toward the parade “I think one death trap of a vehicle is more than enough for you, Miss Swan.”

Emma turned her attention back to the parade, just in time to see herself sitting in the driver’s side of an old powder blue Volkswagen bug, with the convertible top down. A rainbow drawn on her bicep.

Their son was leaning over the passenger’s side tossing little plastic rainbow sheriff’s badges and beads to the kids.

He spotted them almost immediately, waving happily at them before tossing a rainbow badge directly at his brunette mother, forcing her to catch it or be smacked in the face.

Emma scoffed, shaking her head at Henry as he passed.

Henry smiled widely, yelling, “Happy Pride!” directly at them and pointing at his shirt.

Regina cocked her head to the side, squinting at him as he got farther away.

“Is that a-“ she paused then, “I think he has a rainbow swan on his shirt.”

Emma chuckled, apparently this version of her was less than quiet about her sexuality. She had known she was gay for a long time but hadn’t admitted it to herself until her year in New York with Henry. Until now she had believed he hadn’t noticed the small amount of dates she’d been on in that year. She hadn’t been very loud about it that year, or at all upon their return to Storybrooke. Afraid of what Prince Charming and Snow White would think if their beloved princess had not been all they expected.

Henry, as it seemed, was far less worried with that as he cruised down main street in a blue Volkswagen tossing rainbows as people and waving excitedly.

Regina laughed shaking her head, and Emma was a shade of red she’d never seen before. “It seems this version of you is also very, oh how did you so graciously put it, _political_?”

She was teasing, but she’d never seen Emma turn the particular shade of pink she was at that moment. “You’re very pink.” Regina remarked, a glint in her eye when the comment caused Emma’s cheeks to darken. “Does it really bother you so? That in this alternate reality, you might find the female sex attractive.”

Emma felt her face grew impossibly warmer. The purr in Regina’s voice making her stomach do summersaults. Unfortunately, at the same time Regina shut off Emma’s brain with her voice, she also challenged her with her words. So, the next words that came tumbling out of Emma’s mouth were,

“For your information, I like women in our world too, Regina. They just don’t like me.”

Regina seemed to regard her for a moment before going back to the parade, watching as Geppetto, in a rainbow vest, stood on top of a float with a giant wooden coo-coo clock waving and tossing little carved figures out at the people to catch. On the side of the float was a banner in red letters that said, ‘Not all toys are for children, ask to see the back room’, followed by ‘Must be 18+’ in a smaller print. Emma’s eyes widened, that’s more than she ever wanted to know about August’s dad, or his hobbies.

“I find that hard to believe.” Regina contested quietly.

“What?” Emma questioned, wondering what it was about Pinocchio’s dad whittling sex toys she found hard to grasp. The mayor was quiet for another moment as Emma’s focus stayed fixed on the large coo-coo clock rolling down main street.

“That women don’t find you attractive.” Regina stated, softly.

Emma didn’t reply, turning away as her face went hot again. She didn’t trust herself to speak in that moment. She hadn’t meant all women, just Regina.

The mayor didn’t speak on the subject again, and they watched the rest of the parade without talking about anything too personal.

After the last of the floats, everyone filed into the street and began walking toward the park. There was confetti and streamers everywhere and somehow Emma hand ended up with several stickers on her new shirt. As the crowd moved together, Emma felt Regina’s hand brush her arm and she automatically placed her hand on the small of the Mayor’s back. She felt Regina relax just a bit as the crowd slowly moved forward.

* * *

The throng of people slowly made its way to the park and began to disperse giving them both a bit more room. Emma kept her hand protectively against Regina’s lower back as the Queen’s stiff posture began to melt away. Emma never pulled away first, she was glad to touch Regina as long as the Queen allowed it, and as much as she tried to deny it, Regina liked to be touched. She was a very affectionate person when she was sure in her relationships, she touched Henry constantly. Emma had very recently unlocked her rights to Regina’s affections, so she was hesitant to pull away or make it seem unwanted.

It was amusing to Emma that Regina, so loud and so coarse when she wanted to be, was such a soft soul beneath it all.

“Moms!”

They both turned automatically, finding Henry jogging toward them with the biggest grin on his face.

Regina stayed put, waiting for Henry to reach her, Emma’s hand still gentle and protective against her back, as their son wrapped an arm around each of them, tugging then even closer together than they had been. Emma wrapped her free arm around Henry’s neck, while both of Regina’s went around his waist.

He had grown so much in the past year. Somehow, while he’d been off discovering alternate realities and having grand adventures, their son had grown into himself. His lanky body was filling out in a way only living in an unmodern world could create. Emma’s hand smooth over his shoulder trying not to get to wistful. He’d gained a few inches on her, and nearly a whole foot on Regina. His arms more muscular than they had ever been in his entire life.

“Jesus kid, what have you been doing in these realms you visit?” she commented squeezing his arm with a chuckle. A year ago, she could have bench pressed him, now she wasn’t so sure.

Henry laughed pulling away from them both to flex like the jock he was absolutely not, and never once had been.

“Routine sword fighting will do that.” He explained, feeling rather proud of himself.

He’d never had much interest in sports or overly outdoorsy activities, but something about climbing rocks and running around was way more appealing in a world with dragons and magic.

Regina’s eyes widened a bit, her muscles going a bit tense at the idea of Henry wielding a sword and galivanting through the enchanted forest. She’d grown up there, she knew exactly how dangerous a place it could be. She wasn’t exactly sure where all Henry had been, but she’d seen her fair share of realms, and she’d yet to find one she deemed safe enough for her only child to run wild through.

Emma moved her hand from Regina’s back to her shoulder, squeezing supportively. In the past year Regina had worried herself sick several times over Henry’s safety. She knew more about the kind of bad that awaited him in each realm, and Emma knew just how many nights the former Queen had stayed awake worrying over him.

It was worse when they hadn’t heard from him in a while, and while Regina tried not to show Henry how much it bothered her, Emma had noticed. She had known before Henry left that Regina would lose sleep over not being able to protect him.

Henry seemed to finally notice the troubled expression on his mother’s face because a second later his hands shot up in defense.

“Recreationally, of course.” A pause, then specifically to Regina, “I stay out of trouble mom, I swear.”

Regina sighed, but her posture stayed tense, no doubt lost in worries. She was aware she had to let Henry become his own person, and that meant letting go and letting him make his own mistakes. However, she would have much rather preferred him making mistakes at a university in the same realm as them, rather than hopping across the universe like he was the fucking star lord.

“I bet you could give your grandfather a run for his money.” Emma commented, mostly to defuse the tension. She could practically hear Regina’s mind spiraling at the idea of anyone pointing a sharpened sword at her baby boy.

“Pft.” Henry made a nonchalant motion with his hand, looking all too proud of himself. “I could kick both your asses no problem.”

“Henry!” Regina scolded half-heartedly, earning a sheepish look from their son.

“Oh is that right?” Emma countered, Henry smiling impishly at her “Well, now I can’t wait to go home so I can whoop your ass.”

Regina gave her a look that was less admonishment and more ‘you are the reason my son has no manners’ which Emma shrugged off, squeezing the Mayors arm fondly and smiling like an idiot. Usually, Regina would have pulled away by now, but she hadn’t, and Emma was trying her best not to think about what that could possibly mean.

Henry’s eyes followed the movement with a soft smile, but he didn’t comment. In the year and a half he’d been gone, Emma had all but moved into the mansion. Every time he’d called either of his moms, Emma had been at the mansion. Helping Regina with dinner, watching movies, about to go out, Emma was always by his mother’s side. He hadn’t really thought much of it, however, meeting his alternate parents had changed his perspective on them entirely. 

“You guys like my shirt? I made it in Photoshop, and we got Granny to print them with hers. She said as long as she could sell them at the dinner she would print as many as I wanted.”

Emma opened her mouth to comment on the fact that Eugenia was selling gay swan merch her son had made, when Henry’s phone went off. He picked it up stepping a few paces away to speak to whoever that was.

Regina smirked, her eyes glancing sideways at Emma, watching as her cheeks went a bit pink. She didn’t know why their son and Granny were selling gay swan merchandise, but in that moment she didn’t care. It was just too funny.

Emma sighed, seeing the amused look on the Queen’s face. “Why-“

She didn’t get to finish that question as Henry returned to them, slipping his phone into his back pocket. “Alternate mom needs my help down the hill.”

Emma smiled. An alternate Regina, now that was something she wanted to see. As far as she could tell, alternate Emma was pretty much the same as her. A few minor differences, but she still looked like Emma, and she was still the sheriff. However, something told her that the differences between this Storybrooke and their own had a lot to do with this version of Regina.

“We can help out, what’s she need?” Emma offered, feeling Regina’s eyes on her as soon as the words were out of her mouth. Apparently, she was less than thrilled with the idea of meeting her alternate self.

Henry shrugged “She’s got a couple of the more docile horses with her, and she’s letting kids pet them and stuff. I think she just needs an extra pair of hands now that the parade is out.”

Emma nodded. She didn’t particularly like horses, but she was keen to see this version of Regina. She could hardly imagine her Regina, in her pencil skirts and business suits, spending her days playing with horses.

* * *

As they followed Henry through the park, watching people frolic about, covered in rainbows and glitter, Emma noticed Henry was not the only one wearing his gay swan shirt. In fact, there were quite a few people, including young kids, wearing the swan shirt. Emma watched them curiously. There was something she wasn’t getting about this realm, something was very different. She just couldn’t quit place what it was.

Across the park, in a large area marked off by ropes, stood a woman in a tight pair of jeans and a purple shirt. Her dark hair was wild and curly and barely touching her shoulders. A soft smile spread across her face, she’d know that ass anywhere.

Somehow, this world had convinced Regina to wear tight denim and T-shirts, but she was still Regina. Soft and gentle, but oh so intimidating at the exact same time.

Then out of nowhere, arms were wrapping around Emma and hugging her tightly, her entire body seizing up in panic before she caught the familiar sent of her mother’s shampoo.

“Hey, mom.”

Regina snickered beside her, pulling away from Emma for the first time since they’d reached the park. Snow and Regina’s relationship had grown quite a bit over the past years, but the Mayor still preferred not to be enclosed in one of Mary Margret’s vice grip hugs. Emma could have also gone without it, but she appreciated the affection, even if it was overly forceful at times.

Snow pulled away looking at Emma like she was the most amazing thing she’d ever seen, letting out a squeal that made both Emma and Regina wince.

“Emma told me about the alternate reality stuff, but I had no idea! You look just like her!”

Emma shrugged and Snow pulled back stepping an appropriate distance away from her alternate reality child.

“What’s your universe like? Please tell me we still get along there? I would hate for use to not get along as mother and daughter it’s important to-” Snow continued to ramble long enough for Emma to tune her out, and that’s when she noticed it.

Her mom, much like many of the Storybrooke Pride goers, was wearing one of the gay swan shirts.

Regina snorted, obviously noticing the same thing. Emma gave her a tired look whispering under her breath,

“Don’t even.”

The Mayor, however, seemed to find Emma’s words less than threatening as a grin spread across her face.

Emma’s cheeks went hot in a mix of embarrassment and frustration, the amount of people at Storybrooke pride wearing Henry’s swan shirt was insane. The fact that Granny was selling them for 15 dollars was even more so.

“Mom, no offense, but why are you wearing that?”

Snow stopped mid ramble looking down at her shirt with a shrug. “You know us enchanted forest folk, we adore a good love story.”

Emma eyed the shirt for a long moment. “Love story.” She repeated slowly.

She was missing something big, the Sheriff was sure of that. Emma was also sure it was practically staring her in the face, but she was still missing so much information. However, before she could ask for any more clarification Snow was already on eight different topics. Rambling and gushing a mile a minute while Emma felt like her brain was working at a snail’s pace. Something was different, she knew that much.

“Snow, I asked for extra hands not mouths.”

Emma’s head shot up, she knew that voice, and it hadn’t come from where she knew Regina was. Across the little rope fence was alternate Regina, a horse’s reins in one hand and a sweet smile on her lips. Emma’s eyes wandered over her figure - she wasn’t sure her Regina owned a single pair of jeans - but this Regina was not only wearing jeans, they were skin tight and high waisted. Emma’s mouth went dry, her eyes roaming over this world’s Regina.

When her eyes eventually traveled back up to alternate Regina’s face, the brunette was smiling brightly. A sparkle in her eye that let Emma know she’d been caught looking her over. Emma smiled back, sheepish and apologetic, but alternate Regina just seemed amused.

“So, you're Henry’s parents.” She paused smiling at them both before going back to Emma. Her hand sweeping over the horse’s neck absently. “I’m sorry you had to come across the universe, but I’m afraid world hopping is a bit beyond me.”

Something clicked into place in Emma’s head, a light blinking on in her subconscious.

“Yes, he’s very bright.” Regina, commented. Not missing a beat to brag on their son.

Although before alternate Regina could say anything in response, Emma was putting what felt like a very large piece into a very weird puzzle.

“You don’t have a Henry.” She paused, then added, “In this realm, you guys don’t have a Henry.”

Alternate Regina smiled, a bit sad. “No, I’m afraid the sheriff and I don’t have any children.”

Something about that was substantial, Emma was sure of it, but before she could ask any more questions about this realm alternate Emma was strolling up to them, her loose muscle shirt showing off her defined arms, a rainbow on her bicep and a roguish grin on her face.

Alternate Regina scoffed. “Well you sure took your time. I called you nearly an hour ago.”

Alternate Emma shrugged, unbothered. “I came as quick as I could. You know, _one_of us is still in public office.”

Alternate Regina rolled her eyes and another puzzle piece fell into Emma’s hands. This world had no Henry and Regina wasn’t the mayor anymore. Before she could think to question that Regina was already beating her to it.

“You aren’t the Mayor?”

Alternate Regina shrugged, a soft smile on her lips as her fingers brushed over the horse absently. “Not anymore.” She paused, then added “I was, but I stepped down. Politics was never something we desired to be in anyway.”

_ We. _

Emma glanced at Regina, who was watching her alternate self closely. Emma had never wondered if being mayor made Regina happy, she’d always figured it must have. However, watching alternate Regina as she smiled easily, her eyes bright and vibrant as if it was effortless, gave her pause.

Alternate Emma didn’t seem to share the same concern plowing through Emma’s own thoughts. “I was helping Mulan and the rest of the fire department set up the bounce castle!”

“Bounce castle?” Henry echoed, sounding too eager for a boy in his late teens.

Alternate Emma nodded excitedly as she continued, “And an obstacle course! Also, Astrid is painting faces over by the pond!”

They high-fived excitedly, and Emma smiled at her nearly grown son. The pure joy on his face made her want to wrap him in her arms and refuse to let go. She missed when he was young, and she got to watch him play on the playground or pretend sword fight in Regina’s backyard after dinner. An irrational part of her wanted to turn to Regina right then and ask if they could have another one.

“Gods, I married a child.” Alternate Regina groaned in faux distain. 

This world’s Emma smirked at Regina, eyeing the brunette with uninhibited affection “Your welcome, my darling wife, for coming to your aid as soon as I could.”

Alternate Regina hummed, unimpressed and feigning disinterest as alternate Emma hopped the little rope fence and pulled her by the hips into a searing kiss.

Emma felt her jaw fall open, but she was unable to pick it up off the floor. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest as she watched an alternate version of herself kiss Regina deeply in the middle of the park, as if that were normal.

Henry sighed, his arm going up to rest on his mom’s shoulder watching his two alternate moms kiss. “They’re sweet, but so gross.”

Emma’s mouth opened and closed several times, her words failing her as alternate Emma’s hands slid to Regina’s ass. “They’re-“she paused, watching her alternate-self touch Regina in a way that was unmistakably familiar.

“Married?” Henry supplied then gave a nod. “Yeah.”

Emma was silent for another moment as an impish grin spread across her son’s face,

“Did I forget to mention that?” 

* * *

It was a few hours later when a boy in a truck pulled into the clearing to take the horses back to the stables. Alternate Regina smiling and chatting with the boy as they worked to put the horses in the trailer. Emma didn’t recognize him from her Storybrooke, but he seemed to know Regina fairly well. It was nothing, but it was another difference between her own world and this one and she couldn’t help but wonder what it all meant.

Alternate Emma must have notices Emma watching them because she paused in her task of pulling up the wooden stakes previously marking off the area with rope.

“His name’s Joey.” She offered startling Emma from her thoughts, “Regina teaches horseback riding. Mostly just the basics to the younger kids, but Joey’s always been a favorite. He works at the stables now.”

Emma nodded watching alternate Regina as she laughed easily at something the boy said, touching his arm the way she’d seen her Regina touch Henry a thousand times.

Alternate Emma shifted, the pile of wooden stakes in her arms clanking together a bit as she added in a quieter voice,

“I guess you’ve noticed Regina I don’t have a son in this world. It’s always just been the two of us. Which is great, I love her more than anything, and we have fun together but.” Alternate Emma paused and the Sheriff turned to face her, looking into eyes that looked exactly like her own. “Regina loves kids, and we tried for a while- but the kids she teaches, those are all hers.”

Emma smiled her heart melting just a bit more. Regina was such a caring person, she had so much love to give, the idea of her spending all her time teaching little kids to love animals and care for horses made her weak.

Alternate Emma scoffed “Most of them don’t really stick around, but parents from the old world think it’s important that their kids know about horses. I guess because they were such a large thing to their survival.”

Emma nodded and her double continued “But Joey’s kind of adopted Regina as much as she’s adopted him.” She laughed and Emma smiled turning back to see the two of them working to close the trailer.

Alternate Emma turned walking behind Emma to finish picking up the rest of the wooden steaks.

“I think he reminds her of herself before.” Her alternate added, not having to finish what _before_meant. It was heavy in the air as they both tried not to think about what horrible things Regina had divulged in confidence of what _after _had meant.

Alternate Regina turned then, looking at them with a smile, her hands on her hips as she waited for Emma to finishing breaking down the fence.

“You are the worst stable boy I have.” Alternate Regina commented, shaking her head at alternate Emma, the boy behind her snickering at the comment.

Alternate Emma scoffed as she finally pulled up the last steak and bundled up the dirt covered sticks in her arms, tossing them into the truck bed.

“What are you going to do, punish me?”

“Or replace you.” Alternate Regina teased, inclining her head toward where Emma was standing. A look in her eyes that made Emma feel like she wanted her to do a lot more than help her with some horses. Emma’s face was hot, her cheeks going a dark shade of pink, and she fidgeted under alternate Regina’s gaze, wishing her Regina and Henry hadn’t wandered off.

* * *

Regina happily followed Henry through the park, as he caught her up to date on all his adventures. She could tell he was leaving out a few choice details, her son had never been a good liar, but as far as she could tell, he was safe.

It was funny to her how the most mundane activities from the old world delighted her son to no end. It almost made her wish she’d shared more of it with him when he was younger, but she didn’t quite have Henry’s rose-colored perspective on it all.

At that exact moment, he was recounting how he’d attended a small spiritual gathering in the northern mountains, where he’d partaken in a ‘Den of the Beast’ ritual that involved sitting in a cave full of wyrmwood smoke and awaiting the magic within them to guide them on a spiritual quest toward enlightenment.

She didn’t have the heart to tell him he’d spent a week sitting in a hole in the side of a mountain with a bunch of kooks. Spiritual wyrmwood ceremonies were nothing new to the enchanted forest. The place was teeming with talk of destiny and fate, prophecy and saviors and true love, sometime people got lost in all that and got desperate for an answer, a purpose. Often, people exploited that desire for a heavy sum of money.

“I hope you didn’t pay too much for that, if people think they can, they’ll take advantage of you.”

Henry shrugged. “I got it for free, I made friends with the high priestess.”

Something beyond her control made her immediately distrust this person, or any girl that appeared in Henry’s stories. She tried to tamp it down, but Henry saw it, laughing lightly as he soothed her worries with a hand around her shoulder.

“She’s just a friend, mom.”

Regina tried to relax, she tried to give Henry a reassuring smile, but she’d met a few priestesses in her day. They weren’t the kind of person you meet at a bar, or on market day buying a goat. If you met a high priestess, you were probably high on some mix of wyrmwood and wonderland mushrooms, and you were probably naked. In a room with a lot of other naked people. 

Despite the cool breeze in the air Regina could feel herself sweating. She tried to listen to the little voice in her mind, that sounded oddly like Emma, telling her he’d get into just as much trouble at a university. She wanted to ask Henry so many questions, there were so many blank spaces in this story, however, she was more than aware Henry was just as unwilling to give her answers as she was loath to hear them.

“Tell me about this world.” Regina offered suddenly, desperately wanting a change in subject.

Henry shrugged “It’s mostly just like home.” A pause then “You know they’re together right?”

Regina scoffed. “Yes, the amount of public kissing did clue me in.”

He nodded but didn’t say anything more as he watched a couple of kids wearing those swan shirts run past holding matching clouds of blue cotton candy. There faces painted with glittering rainbows that glinted in the sunlight.

Regina watched him carefully, there was so much he suddenly wasn’t saying, but she could see he was deliberating over what to say next.

Henry sighed, touching his mother’s arm lightly and nodding toward a park bench a few feet away under an old oak tree. Regina didn’t say a word as she walked to the bench and sat down under the shade of the tree, watching Henry curiously. Afraid that if she spoke now, he would take whatever he was thinking and decide not to share it.

Henry sat down next to her with a sigh, his hands clasped together in between his knees. An old nervous habit that Henry had always had. When he was six, he’d broken a vase, and sat like that the rest of the day until Regina had found the ruminants of said vase had been hastily hidden under his bed. It happened when he was ten and sneaking out all the time, and when he’d accidentally ran his bike into the side of the Benz and scratched the paint. The list went on, but Regina stayed quiet, waiting for whatever confession her son had.

“I never told you how I ended up in this world.” Another pause, as he fidgeted with his fingers. “I messed up the trajectory like I said when I called you. But the trajectory of my portal was only askew because I purposefully went to an alternate enchanted forest. I got too cocky and I cut corners and I ended up in what I guess was the closest reality over.”

Regina looked at him, concern etched in her features. “What--” There were so many things that could come after that but before she could finish any of them, Henry’s hand was on hers.

“Please, let me get this all out, then I’ll answer all your questions.” Regina nodded, her hand turning upward to interlace with her son’s fingers, squeezing reassuringly.

“After my time in the mountains I was thinking about reality.” Regina snorted in spite of her best efforts not to. That sounded exactly like what one might ponder after breathing in hallucinogens at a high altitude for a week.

Henry smiled anyway before continuing. “I was thinking about reality, and I started playing with alchemy and the elements of portal magic. The point is that it worked okay the first time and didn’t go as great the second. But the world I was in before this… the Evil Queen never cast the curse. You weren’t defeated, just... I dunno.”

He trailed off, a long pause following that last statement as he watched the people in the park,

“You and Emma were together in that world too.”

Regina raised an eyebrow, one in a million infinities wasn’t surprising but two was substantially more noteworthy.

Henry seemed to recognize that fact as well, because the next words out of his mouth were,

“Mom, are you in love with Emma?”

Apparently, she waited to too long to reply because Henry was talking again, rambling in that endearing way his other mother always did when she was anxious.

“Because the only real difference in both those realms was that you guys didn’t have me, and if you guys aren’t married because of me I just want you to know that’s stupid.”

Regina felt her stomach bottom out, she hadn’t been anticipating that. Love was a strong word, one Regina had never taken lightly. In her near decade of marriage, she never once told the King she loved him. She couldn’t deny that Emma had weaseled her way into her heart over the past seven years, and she could say without a doubt she cared for the woman, loved her even. However, in love, felt a bit strong for someone who’d never seemed to return the slightest bit of reciprocated interest.

Henry didn’t press the matter any further, obviously understanding that Regina truly didn’t have an answer for that question. He quickly deflected, giving her other things to do as they made their way through the various vender booths in the park. Chatting about much lighter topics until the sun began to set, and they returned to Emma and the alternates.

* * *

They ended up leaving the festival around the same time as most of the families, leaving the night life to the rest of Storybrooke while they chose to head back to the mansion. Henry was now in the guest room, that in his own parent’s home would have been his bedroom, rummaging through his stuff for the reference sheet he’d made for the sigil he’d used to open two portals to two separate alternate universes.

Alternate Emma was in the kitchen chopping various vegetables for a salad, while her wife worked at the stove.

“She lets you touch things in her kitchen?” Emma asked her alternate, incredulous. “I’m not even allowed to press start on Regina’s dishwasher.”

Alternate Regina chuckled softly but didn’t turn her attention from whatever she was stirring. Alternate Emma smirked, that mischievous glint Regina always got right before she said something particularly sassy present in the blonde’s eyes.

“We’ve been married for eight years, I imagine I’m allowed to touch a lot of things you aren’t.”

The suggestive undertone wasn’t lost on anyone in the room, Emma’s body heating up, as her mind filled with a barrage of images detailing all the things she would absolutely like to touch. Regina scoffed eyeing alternate Emma over the wine glass in her hand, alternate Emma giving her a wink and a cocky grin.

Emma felt a tinge of jealousy hit her watching this other version of herself create intimacy with Regina without even trying, without having known her for more than a few hours. Regina gave Emma’s alternate a look that was more lascivious than Emma deemed fully necessary, alternate Emma keeping her full attention on Regina, her smile growing cockier with Regina’s jovial response.

Emma had felt jealous of men Regina had been with, but it was nothing like watching a version of herself that wasn’t her get Regina’s attention. Then, alternate Regina was speaking, pulling both of the Emma’s attention to her as she called their name.

“Emma can you come help me with this?”

Alternate Emma moved to help her wife, but alternate Regina held up a hand glancing at Emma.

“Not you, darling.” She corrected her wife, turning to Emma with a soft smile.

Emma fidgeted dumbly in her place by the kitchen threshold. She hadn’t been kidding about her Regina not allowing her to touch a thing in the kitchen. She was a better cook that Regina gave her credit for, but it was less about her competency in the kitchen and more about Regina being neurotic.

Emma had learned a long time ago that there were some things that Regina had so precisely organized that being allowed to touch them was a lot more effort than just keeping her hands in her pockets. The kitchen and the vault where the worst, but she was also a bit touchy about her study and the mayoral office to a slightly less severe degree.

“You want me to touch things?” Emma asked cautiously, looking at alternate Regina’s soft smile and feeling herself go warm and fuzzy at the sight of it.

That smile got a bit more suggestive, her lips pursing in that way they did when she was feeling particularly clever and playful.

“You’re more than welcome to touch whatever you’d like.”

Emma felt her face go hot for the millionth time today as alternate Regina’s voice dipped into that low suggestive octave that made Emma weak.

“W-what do you need me to touch?”

Emma hadn’t meant for that to come across nearly as sexual as it had, or for her voice to sound so obviously desirous. Somehow, alternate Regina was managing to look at Emma with both a fond understanding and playful suggestiveness.

It was weird to Emma, that despite not ever meeting this Regina and the obvious differences she had with her doppelgänger, she still felt a familiar easiness that didn’t usually come with meeting anyone for the first time.

“Right now, I need you to stir this risotto while I finish with the chicken breasts.”

Emma nodded, moving stiffly to the stove and beginning to stir as if at any moment she would be slaughtered for the crime of stirring cheese rice. Alternate Regina smiled reassuringly when Emma glanced at her, worried she was some how doing this wrong, despite knowing how to stir the contents of a pot.

Then, without out any warning, alternate Regina added, “But you can ask me what you can touch again after dinner if you’d like,” without out bothering to look up from her task of placing lemon slices into a dish of seasoned chicken.

Emma’s whole body went hot but she forced herself to focus on stirring. She could feel Regina’s eyes boring into her from across the kitchen island as their alternates continued making dinner happily. As if any of this were normal.

A quiet moment passed where Emma stirred stiffly, Regina glaring into her back for some unknown reason. Probably for enjoying the attention alternate Regina was giving her.

Alternate Emma sighed placing the knife down on the cutting board and pushing the board and the cut vegetables toward her wife. The sound of the wood being pushed across the marble counter sounding loud in the very tense silence Regina was purposefully creating.

Emma had learned a long time ago that with Regina there was two types of quiet. There was content quiet, like when she was reading or just happy to be near you, and then there was angry silent which meant you were in big trouble. After nearly nine years Emma could practically feel it, like a shift in wind that meant a storm was approaching. She was confident that her alternate could as well, being married for nearly as long as she and her Regina had known each other. Emma was sure her doppelgänger had been on the end of her fair share of those deadly silences.

“Well I’m done here.” Alternate Emma’s voice cut through the silence cheerfully. “Regina, why don’t you and I go set the table.”

It wasn’t a question and Emma was impressed with her doubles bravery. Emma wasn’t afraid of Regina, but the angry silence was something she and Henry had always approached with caution.

To her surprise Regina slipped off her stool, letting alternate Emma settle a hand on her lower back and guide her toward her own dining room.

They were clearly out of earshot before alternate Regina spoke again.

“I think I struck a nerve.” She commented, leaning over Emma to lower the heat and take away the wooden spoon Emma had been using to stir the rice, quickly replacing it with a glass lid. The former Queen’s free hand resting softly around Emma to rest on her bicep.

Emma shrugged. “I’m not sure what it was honestly.” She confessed stepping aside to let alternate Regina place the chicken into the oven.

There was a pause, alternate Regina staring at her with a bemused look. “No,” she commented lightly as if she was telling a joke Emma didn’t understand.

“You really don’t do you?”

Emma’s brow furrowed in confusion, she was about to ask Regina’s alternate for clarification when Henry came bounding down the stairs and into the kitchen.

* * *

Regina let herself be led into the dining room, alternate Emma’s hand warm and soothing on her back.

“She doesn’t mean anything by it, she’s just a relentless tease.” Alternate Emma soothed, her thumb running over Regina’s back before pulling away with a wide smile “but she’s you so you already knew that.”

Regina scoffed, her fingers playing over the dinning room table’s smooth surface. It wasn’t the same oak table she had in her own home. It was newer, and a lot less traditional than her usually décor.

“We broke the other one.” Alternate Emma commented, a slight pink to her cheeks as she placed the stack of plates from the china cabinet down, followed by the cutlery.

Regina eyed her for a moment, her eyebrow raised in confusion until it clicked a second later.

“Oh.” She commented dumbly, a million ideas of how exactly they had accomplished that running through her mind.

Alternate Emma smirked knowingly but didn’t elaborate on that specific comment as they set the table. Alternate Emma’s eyes occasionally straying to Regina, looking at her with a soft smile. Once the table was set and Regina’s mood vastly improved Regina watched as alternate Emma eyed her, with a soft admiring gaze before commenting in an even softer voice,

“I think I missed the pant suits a little bit.” 

Regina smirked, a very impish and lewd part of her wanting to tease the blonde in that moment. Wanted to suggest things that she had just been mad at her alternate for even hinting at. A voice in the back of her mind telling her that there were currently _two Emmas. _She took a step closer, alternate Emma smiling all too knowingly. She was on the cusp of letting out an array of dirty thoughts involving the two Emmas and two of her selves, when her son came bounding down the stairs.

Regina blinked a few times, feeling a bit like someone had just dumped ice water on her, as her nineteen-year-old son dashed into the kitchen with a large rolled piece of parchment.

Alternate Emma chuckled, her hands going to Regina’s hips and holding her in a soft but familiar way, tugging her closer and kissing her forehead with a smile before returning to the kitchen.

Regina stayed in the dining room for a long moment shocked by how quickly she’d been willing to hop into bed with Emma’s alternate. She’d been harboring feelings for the blonde for years now, but there was something about how confident this version of Emma was that made her a bit weak. A part of her pondering what it might be like to marry someone she didn’t completely abhor.

If she was honest, she had never been interested in getting married again but the way these alternate versions of herself and Emma interacted gave her pause. There were such slight differences, but they spoke volumes about the kind of happiness they might be able to find in each other.

Since Henry had taken off realm hoping she and Emma had gone from close to nearly inseparable, the both of them trying desperately to cope with being suddenly childless. She was only realizing now, how few differences were still left between the two of them being married in this alternate reality and the life they had built together in their own.

* * *

Dinner proceeded quietly, each of them a bit lost in thought.

Occasionally Henry would break the silence with something funny he’d seen or learned in his travels. The rest of his family attentive but somewhat distracted.

For a bit he and both Regina’s chatted about the magic he’d been meddling in, both sharing a weary look as Henry explained the new age tricks he’d picked up. _Gray magic_, he called it. Not light, not dark, gray.

Emma, for one was lost as her son explained the intricacies of magic far beyond anything Regina had ever taught her. She suspected Regina was also struggling to grasp what their son was saying but trying hard to appear unfazed. It was around the time Henry started saying things like ‘sands of time’ that Emma tuned him out entirely.

She’d never been one for potions, using her emotions to magically punch stuff was one thing but all that alchemy crap Regina used to brew potions just looked a lot like chemistry class to her. She’d failed chemistry in high school and wasn’t looking to pass it in her mid-thirties, Regina had given up trying to teach her basic brewing a long time ago.

It wasn’t until she heard her own voice, coming from her double that she rejoined the conversation, just in time to hear her alternate say,

“You’re welcome to use the spare room until tomorrow. I doubt you’ll be strong enough to take all three of you back to your realm until you’ve rested.”

Regina nodded. “Yes, I don’t think we should even attempt it until we’ve all had some rest, and I’ve had a chance to look over Henry’s sigil guides.”

Emma handed her empty plate to Henry who was helping alternate Regina gather the dirty dishes to bring to the kitchen.

“Henry has taken up residence in the room at the end of the hall.” Alternate Regina commented. “So, that really only leaves the main guest room.”

Emma was about to offer to sleep on the couch when her Regina cut in. “I don’t see a problem with that, do you Emma?”

Emma wisely shut her mouth, she could still offer to sleep on the couch, but she realized quickly she would much rather be in a warm queen-sized bed with Regina than in the drafty living room alone.

The alternates shared a look of amusement over the top her their heads and Emma eyed them with a confused look. Regina seemed to notice to but didn’t comment looking at her doppelgänger with a sheer determination Emma also didn’t understand.

Alternate Regina hummed, a soft smile playing at her lips “I had no doubt it would be.”

Alternate Emma had made up the guest room for them to share while Regina and Henry both did the dishes and began to get ready for bed. Emma eyed the temporary rainbow tattoo still present on her alternate’s bicep and wondered idly if this realm was any indication of how her own Storybrooke would react to her being gay.

After alternate Emma made up the bed, and Regina thanked her kindly, taking the offered oversized T-shirt Emma recognized as something she also owned. Alternate Emma explaining that while alternate Regina had the silk nighties that her Regina always slept in, Alternate Regina had picked up an affinity for wearing Emma’s oversized T-shirts.

Emma watched as her alternate headed toward the door with a parting of ‘Happy Pride’ before closing the door. Leaving the two of them alone in the small bedroom, an unsure stillness in the air.

They’d been alone together before, had fallen asleep on the couch together plenty of times in the year since Henry had left. However, something about this felt different, heavier and more meaningful than all the other nights of this year and a half put together.

“I’m going to change.” Regina commented, her voice unsure but determined. It was obvious she was feeling in some way competitive, like she needed to win some game Emma didn’t even know they were playing.

The Sheriff nodded dumbly, moving to sit on the bed thinking Regina was going to go down the hall to the bathroom. She was then surprised as the former queen began unbuttoning her blouse right then and there.

Emma realized somewhere in the back of her mind it would be polite to look away, but her eyes were too transfixed with every part of new skin that came into view as Regina unbuttoned her shirt. Regina was watching her as well and Emma realized a bit late, that this was somehow part of the game Regina was trying to win right now.

Emma realized with some clarity that Regina wanted her to watch, so she continued to do so as Regina undid the clasp of her dark gray pencil skirt. Emma’s eyes followed the former Queen’s hand as it tugged the zipper down before allowing the material to fall off her and pool at her feet, letting her oxford shirt follow.

Emma realized then, as her throat dried and her heart beat rapidly in her chest that she never wanted to not watch this woman undress at the end of the day ever again.

Regina rolled her stockings down over her legs, propping her foot up beside Emma on the bed. She’d expected Emma to get flustered and look away, or maybe even mumble an excuse to leave the room, so having the blonde’s undivided attention in that moment was only fueling the fire.

Not one to be outdone, and with a completive streak that rivaled Regina’s, Emma was suddenly whipping her shirt and undershirt over her head in one move, leaving her in a white sports bra that Regina could absolutely see through.

A part of Regina wanted to surge forward in that moment, the idea of straddling the blonde and crashing their lips together sounding more appealing by the second. Nonetheless, that would mean playing her hand, and perhaps too soon. Regina was testing the waters, the last she wanted to do was dive into the deep end and be unable to recover if Emma started to back pedal.

If she was honest, they’d done this before. Many times. Playing chicken with their feelings waiting for the other to turn away, or act like they hadn’t gotten too close.

In order to keep the upper hand Regina turned her back on the blonde, undoing the clasp of her bra and letting that fall to the ground as well before slipping the large T-shirt over her head. Deciding quickly to go about the rest of her nightly routine as if nothing had happened.

Emma watched from the bed, where she now sat in her bra and a pair of shorts, as Regina leaned close to the mirror that was hanging over the dresser. The T-shirt she wore riding up just enough to show the curve of her ass and a bit of her light blue panties, as she wiped her face clean of makeup. 

Emma felt herself get dreamy, looking at Regina in one of her T-shirts, makeup free and about to crawl into bed with her. A part of her wondering, not for the first time, if one could truly fall head over heels in love with someone they’d never even been on a date with. At that moment, as Regina’s eyes locked with hers in the mirror, the Queen smiling sweetly at her. Emma was more than positive that you could.

The rest of the night was uneventful as Regina crawled into bed and waved the lights off with a flick of her wrist, the both of them falling asleep rather quickly after the long day they’d had.

The next morning Emma was awoken by the smell of coffee wafting from down stairs, followed by the sounds of sizzling bacon.

Emma had never spent a whole night in Regina’s house. She’d fallen asleep on the couch before, but usually she woke up sometime during the night and headed home. However, she had imagined spending the night with Regina several times and waking up to the smell of her cooking had been a big part of that fantasy.

Emma rolled over to find Regina still asleep next to her in the plush bed, her dark hair in her face and her lips slightly parted as she breathed deeply. Emma smiled softly, her insides going to goop at the sight of the former Queen curled up on her side in one of Emma’s oversized shirts sleeping peacefully in bed with her.

Emma sighed, she would like to curl up next to the Queen and sleep like this all morning, but she was more than sure that the coffee was their wake-up call. They needed to get back to their own reality, they’d already taken nearly a week off work to figure out how to get to Henry. They needed to get back before the town completely fell apart. Not to mention what kind of sci-fi nonsense they were stirring up by being in an alternate reality. Emma wasn’t the best at magic, but she had watched enough_Fringe_and _Doctor Who_to know that being in alternate reality could go bad really fast.

Emma ran a hand over Regina’s arm and shook her gently.

Regina groaned but otherwise didn’t budge, dead to the world.

Emma smiled “Regina.” She called softly, shaking her again.

The response she received was the Queen rolling onto her stomach, the side of her face pressed into the pillow. Her hair becoming even more disarranged than it had been before.

Emma glanced at her phone’s clock, realizing it was barely four in the morning. She usually ran in the morning before her shift at the station, so she was up by five-thirty most of the time, but she understood why Regina was loath to be woken at this hour.

Once down stairs she found Henry in the kitchen cooking bacon and eggs. His hair still disheveled from sleep. He smiled warmly at her as he plaited the bacon on a paper towel to soak up the extra grease.

“Morning ma.”

Emma nodded her greeting sitting down at the counter. “You’re up early.”

Henry shrugged. “I’ve been in the enchanted forest for a while. Trust me when I say those people are up before the sun.”

Alternate Emma laughed, drawing Emma’s attention. If she was honest, she hadn’t noticed her double in the kitchen till just now. Alternate Emma was on the far side of the kitchen in a sports bra and a pair of sweats that said ‘Storybrooke Sheriff’s Department’ down the left leg. Emma had never desired merch from her job, but suddenly she couldn’t think of anything she needed more than those sweats.

“Yeah, all of them except her Majesty.” Alternate Emma commented jocularly. “To get her ass out of bed, you need a lot more than peer pressure.”

Henry snorted. “I know; you forget that I grew up with her. Her alarm for work was like a fog horn.”

Alternate Emma groaned. “God, I’m so glad she’d not the mayor anymore and she makes her own hours. She is so much happier when she gets to sleep till at least ten.”

Emma watched them joke about this woman they both knew so well, suddenly realizing that even after nearly a decade of friendship, there was still so much she didn’t know about Regina. She quickly came to the conclusion that she wanted to know every possible detail about Regina, she wanted to know her the way Henry and alternate Emma seemed to.

True to Henry and alternate Emma’s word, it was nearly noon before either of the Regina’s made an appearance. What is more, It nearly two, as they all stood around the marble island ready to discuss their options for sending Emma, Regina, and Henry back to their own realm.

Henry had his reference for the sigil, however, the enchanted sand he had used to travel here was not nearly enough to complete the ritual again. The three of them chatted about magical objects and various ways they could travel home; even suggesting they use of Jefferson’s hat at one point before Emma reminded everyone how unstable and horrifying that hat could be.

“I don’t understand why we can’t get back the way we got here.” Emma commented, feeling entirely exasperated from this back and forth conversation.

Alternate Regina eyed her curiously, her head cocking to the side. “That’s true.” She agreed. “How did you two manage to get through the barrier between our realities?”

Emma shrugged. If she was honest, she didn’t know. She knew they had been in the vault surrounded by candles and holding hands. She knew Regina had told her to focus on Henry and find him. Then, suddenly, they were here.

It all seemed much less complicated than all the suggestions the rest of the group had come up with so far. She didn’t understand why Regina was searching for a different way home when the way they’d come in was so simple.

Emma explained the spell they’d done to the best of her ability, but it hadn’t even seemed like a spell. Not in the way she’d seen all the other spells Regina did.

Alternate Regina smiled at her, in that way that implied Emma was again, missing something very obvious.

Henry was looking between her and Regina as well, a knowing tugging at one side of his lips.

The gravity of what they’d accomplished together hit her hard. Hopping between realms had always been an incredible feat for everyone, usually involving glowing beans and magic hats.

Traveling between entire realities should have been near impossible but, they had managed to work it out in a couple of days. Trapped together in Regina’s vault until she’d Frankensteined enough aid from various magics that they could power the trip as easy as jumping the battery on a car.

It wasn’t anything new, they’d moved the moon, traversed several realms, and stopped multiple curses and various attacks on Storybrooke. As far as Emma was concerned magic was always like that; accidental. For Emma magic was something bubbling out of her in times of need, like a scream when you get scared, or a burp after drinking too much soda.

She rarely thought of it as something that people had to work for, even knowing how hard Regina had and still continued to study all things magic.

She turned to Regina for confirmation that Henry and the alternates weren’t being over dramatic with their shock. The Queen had her head ducked low looking like she’d rather be anywhere else right then.

“What?” Emma asked, somewhat protective as Regina continued to shrink into herself.

“You shouldn’t just be able to do that.” Alternate Regina answered, nodding toward the other Regina. “She knows that.”

Emma shrugged. “Well we can, so I guess that just makes us special.”

Alternate Emma snorted, her arm going around alternate Regina’s waist. “Yeah, something like that.” She murmured kissing her wife’s temple, making alternate Regina smile.

Regina felt her stomach flip. Emma was dense but she wasn’t this dense, she’d figure it out soon. The first time Emma had touched her while she was spinning Jefferson’s hat she’d known. It had felt primitive, and presumptuous, but she knew in that moment that somewhere in the stars they were written for each other.

The kind of true love story that traversed realms and entire universes. The fairytale love that she often scoffed at when she witnessed a bout of the Charming’s softness toward each other.

She realized that to have true love like they had, the kind that moved moons and shifted the earth it was much more than mutual. However, despite knowing very early on, it had been something that had grown slowly, like vines up brick and mortar. Quiet and easy to ignore, until it was all consuming and absolutely everywhere.

Regina had known for so long, but she was more than just aware how much Emma had no idea. Despite knowing they were quite literally destined for each other Regina hadn’t wanted to disrupt Emma’s life with the news, had never wanted to make her feel trapped. In a bout of self-loathing that had plagued her entire life she had locked that information away. On a shelf in the back of her mind, right next to ‘I killed Graham’ and ‘I tried to sleep with your father during the curse.’

“Well.” Suddenly her own voice was cutting through the silence, her alternate apparently taking pity on her as she brushed what they both knew to be true under the nearest rug. “That certainly will make sending you home a lot easier.”

Henry nodded. “And with alternate mom’s help, you should be able to lug my no magic ass back as well.”

Regina rolled her eyes at her son’s crude language but didn’t linger on it, too grateful to her son and her alternate for their benevolence. If Emma never figured out that they were in love, that would just mean it wasn’t meant to be. Not in their realm, where things were so complicated, and there were so many reasons for Emma to never see her like that.

* * *

An hour later they were standing in the alternate mansion’s back yard. A circle of the four of them with Henry in the middle. They’d decided it would be easier for them to send him back first using their combined magic, and then let Emma and Regina do the rest. So here they were, all four of them holding hands around their son and his duffle bag and motorcycle, surrounded by candles emitting a blue glow that was muted by the day’s light.

Their son was sitting cross-legged in the grass waiting patiently as their hands began to glow, forming a bubble of pinkish lilac magic that surrounded him until he suddenly disappeared with a hollow pop, leaving just the four of them holding hands in a field.

They all smiled at each other before the alternates stepped back, giving the two women their space, as they rejoined hands with each other. Emma felt a bit like Dorothy in _The Wizard of Oz _while she focused on their home and Henry, and the love that she felt for those things. Of how it felt to be with Regina, in the mansion; their own little space that was only for them and the family they had created, and just as suddenly, they were in their own back yard.

The alternates were gone, and their son was smiling at the them from the back-porch steps where he was sitting, waiting for their return.

Emma laughed, all of this was so ridiculous that she couldn’t help it. She just hopped through time and space for no other reason but because she loved her family, loved Regina, and all the emotions and feelings that came with that.

Then suddenly all three of them were laughing, the week they had had so odd and amusing that they couldn’t help but giggle. Standing in the backyard together, the sun warming up the otherwise cool morning air, they laughed for a long time before going silent, content to be together in this moment.

Regina was the first to speak. “I hope you learned a lesson about triple checking your supplies.”

Henry nodded. “Next time, I’ll be sure to pack better mom, I promise.” There was a moment where they smiled at each other before Henry added, “Thanks for the lift.”

Regina sighed. “Anytime, in any realm, reality, or planet you can find.”

Henry smiled genuinely, his arms going around her neck as he hugged her tightly. Emma smiled, watching them, they’d gotten so close in the past few years. The turmoil of what their relationship had become when Emma first met them a very distant memory that only reinforced their bond.

“Besides,” Henry added, still hugging his mother close, “I think I’ll stay in this realm a while. I have a feeling that things might start getting interesting and I don’t want to miss it.”

Henry squeezed his mother again before stepping away. “I think it’s about time.”

He didn’t say for what, but Regina was ducking her head again, her gaze focused on the grass beneath their feet.

There was a pause, Henry smiling at Regina softly while she avoided his gaze, before he slung his duffle bag over his should and headed toward the back door.

“I’m going to do some laundry. You might not believe this but realms with magic aren’t big on laundry detergent.”

Regina snorted moving to follow Henry inside, when Emma’s hand shot out. Grabbing the former queen’s shoulder to get her attention.

Regina turned, eyeing her with surprise. Emma wasn’t exactly sure why she’d stopped Regina, but she felt like a window was closing. Like if she didn’t say exactly what she was thinking right then and there, the whole world would turn on its axis and the sun would explode.

Her heart twisted in her chest at the implication, she’d thought idly about asking Regina out plenty of times, but she realized rather suddenly that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with this woman.

“Regina.” She paused, playing with the idea of not putting this all on the table right then and there. Nevertheless, she plowed forward. “What do you think about the two of us going on a date this Friday night?”

There was a long moment of silence, were Emma wasn’t sure if she wanted to run away before the inevitable laughter and rejection from Regina or just start crying right then and there.

Then Regina was smiling widely, warmly, in that soft way that meant she was happy. “I think I’d like that a lot Emma.”

Emma smiled back widely, she had no doubt in her mind that if she’d been a cartoon her eyes would be little hearts at that moment. She had fallen for Regina so long ago but realizing there maybe be a chance for them to have a happy future had spurred her to action.

Seeing herself, literally herself and Regina, in love and so happy made her desire to have a future with the Queen, a relationship, had left her heart aching to release every pent up feeling she’d ever locked away in regard to Regina.

It was too soon, she wanted to do this right but suddenly she was stepping forward. Her hands going to the Queen’s hips, like she’d seen her alternate self do several times. Regina smiling softly as she leaned into the embrace. Emma’s lips barely a centimeter from Regina’s, her breath coming out in small puffs as she deliberated whether to do this all out of order.

They already had a kid. If they kissed before their first date, would it really be the thing that meant they were doing this all backwards? The Queen brushed their lips together daring the Sherriff to kiss her. Emma’s hand tightened on Regina’s hips, squeezing gently, making Regina hum.

Then suddenly Henry’s voice was cutting though the sound of their mingled breath with a jovial,

“Maybe we can plan out own pride parade here.”

Regina scoffed, 

“Maybe,” her head falling to Emma’s chest, fitting just under her chin. Emma’s hands encircling Regina’s waist as she welcomed the feel of the other woman pressed against her. She wanted to be mad at Henry for interjecting when they had been so close to making out in the backyard, but a part of her couldn’t help but feel relived at his easy acceptance.

Henry smiled, leaning onto the porch railing with a knowing gleam in his eye,

“I’ve already got a lot of ideas for new Swan Queen shirts.”

Swan Queen. Emma’s eyes widened realizing that the entire town she had just been in, had been running around in shirts celebrating her love for Regina and she hadn’t even fully realized it.

Regina scoffed, unfazed, and Emma suddenly understood that Regina had apparently figured that out a long time ago. She had figured a lot of things out a long time ago.

Emma tugged the woman impossibly closer, resting her chin on the crown of Regina’s head, just glad to have finally caught on.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [storybrooke pride [art]](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20500178) by [lesbrarian](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lesbrarian/pseuds/lesbrarian)


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